[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]
Posted by Alex Harper on 20:20:31 06/04/09
Carlos Sanchez and I birded ENP in the late morning to the early afternoon. We failed to find the White-tailed Kite on research road, but did have at least nine Swallow-tailed Kites and Eastern Bluebird. The Paurotis Pond rookery is still very active. One Roseate Spoonbill was there, along with a few Eastern Kingbirds.
Heading south, we were both excited to see a Big Cypress/Mangrove Fox Squirrel. Entirely black. I remember this mammal receiving some hype on this board back in 2004 or so. Great mammal.
At the Flamingo visitor center, we had White-crowned Pigeon, Gray Kingbirds, and at least two male Shiny Cowbirds. We also witnessed seven Atlantic Bottlenosed Dolphins cornering baitfish near the visitor center. They would take turns circling the school, making sure to churn up the sediment and muck. They would then group up side-by-side, and wait for the panicing fish to jump over the circle of muck and then catch them as they jumped right into their mouths. Most impressively, they knew exactly where the fish would all jump towards!
Eco Pond had nothing but Black-necked Stilts and an Everglades Racer, and the campground had Black-bellied Plovers, Willet, and Ruddy Turnstones. We braved the West Lake boardwalk, but came out cuckoo-less.
I stopped by Homestead airport for Burrowing Owl, and saw three.
[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]